Means for operating car-platforms.



K. E. 0. HOGKINSON. MBA-NS POE OPERATING GAR PLATFORMS.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.11, 1911.

999,450., Patented Aug. 1, 1911.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0., WASHINGTON, n. C.

S ATES UNIT KARL E. O. HOCKINSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Application filed March 17, 1911.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL E. O. HOOKIN- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means forOperating Gar-Platforms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in meansfor operating car platforms, and it consists in certain peculiarities ofthe construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various artsthereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specificallyclaimed.

As is well known, many passenger coaches, as well as sleeping-cars anddiners, are equipped at their ends and on each side thereof, with stepsfor the ingress and egress of passengers, and that the cut away portionsof the platforms above the steps are closed, when it is not desired touse the steps, by means of the doors hinged to one side of said cut awayportions, and said doors have to be lifted or turned on their hinges bythe manual operation of the porter or brakeman in order to expose thesteps for use. This requires stooping over and sometimes much exertionby the operator, when the doors are covered with snow or ice, andbesides, as the doors or hinged sections of the platforms, when raisedare located on the sides of the passage-ways directly above the stepsthey take up considerable room or are in the way to some extent.

The principal object of my invention is to overcome the above namedobjections or difficulties, and to provide hinged sections of theplatforms, which, when the steps are in use, will lie entirely out ofthe way and in a horizontal position, yet can readily be adjusted tooverlie the steps when it is not desired to use the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for manipulatingthe hinged sections which shall be simple and inexpensive inconstruction, strong, durable and eflicient in operation, and so madethat the hinged sections of the platforms may be thrown into theiroperative positions by a slight movement of an operating lever.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosedin the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Au. 1, 1911.

Serial No. 615,001.

and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it referring to theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1, is a view in elevation of oneend of a car showing it equipped with steps and my improved means foroperating the hinged sections of the platform, and illustrating one ofsaid hinged sections in the position it will occupy when overlying thesteps, and the other of said hinged sections in the position it willoccupy when the steps are opened for use, and Fig. 2, is a perspectiveview of a portion of a car equipped with my improvements showing aportion of one of the hinged sections in the position it will occupywhen the steps are open for use.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawing.

The reference numeral 5, designates a railway car or coach which may beof the ordinary or any preferred construction, and has as usual, at eachof its ends and outwardly of the doors 6, a horizontally disposedplatform 7, from the side edges of which project depending step frames8, which frames and the steps thereon may be of the ordinary or anypreferred construction. The outer end of each of the platforms 7, hassecured thereto a horizontally disposed beam 9, on the upper surface ofwhich are mounted the railings 10, for the protection of the passengers.As shown, the upper ends of the side pieces of the step frames 8, arelocated a short distance below the upper surface of the beam 9, and in ahorizontal plane with the lower surface of the floor or stationary part7, of the platform, which part is suitably supported.

Hinged to each of the side edges of the stationary part 7, of theplatform, is a platform section 11, which is of sufficient size to fitsnugly between the inner surface of the beam 9, and the end of the car5, and to extend outwardly to about the ends of the beam 9, and sides ofthe car, when in position to close the cut away portion of the platformor passageway to and from the steps, as will be readily understood byreference to Fig. 1, of the drawing. Fulcrumed at its lower end on theinner surface of the beam 9, and near each of the step frames 8, is anoperating lever 12, which extends upwardly alongside of the railings 10,and

to which the invention pertains, to make operates in slots or recesses13, in the upper portion of the stationary part 7, of the platform andin the upper outer sides of the step frames. Also fulcrumed to the innersurface of the beam 9, outwardly from and near each of the operatinglevers 12, is a bellcranklever the shorter arm 14, of each of which ispivotally connected by means of a link 15, to one of the levers 12, andeach of the longer arms 16, of said bell-crank-levers is pivotallyconnected by means of a link 17, to one of the hinged sections 11, ofthe platform.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing, it will be readilyunderstood, that when it is desired to use the steps, both of the hingedsections 11, may be turned to the position shown on the left of Fig. 1,and in Fig. 2, in which positions it is apparent that they will liehorizontally on the stationary part 7, of the platform so thatpassengers may walk over the same and have free access to the steps.When it is desired to cover the steps with the hinged sections 11, it isonly necessary to move the operating lever or levers 12, from theposition shown at the left of the door in Fig. 1, to that shown at theright of the door in said figure, in which operation it is apparent thatby reason of the connections 14, 15, 16 and 17, which unite the hingedsections 11, to the operating levers 12, that said sections will beeasily moved from one of their positions to another or so as to open andclose the passage-ways or cutaway parts of the platform. When the hingedsections 11, are disposed to cover said cutaway portions of the platformor the passage-way to and from the steps, it is apparent that they willbe strongly supported in their horizontal positions by means of theupper ends of the step frames 8, on which they may rest.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters-Patent is 1. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination with a car having a stationary platform atone of its ends, of a transversely and horizontally disposed support atthe outer end of said platform, a platform section hinged to the sideedge of the stationary platform and adapted to be turned on its hingesand to lie horizontally on the upper surface of the stationary platform,an operating lever suitably fulcrumed at its lower end below thestationary platform, a bell crank lever also fulcrumed below saidplatform, a link uniting the operating lever to one arm of the bellcrank lever and an other link pivotally connected at one of its ends tothe other arm of the bell-crank-lever and similarly connected at itsother end to the hinged section of the platform.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a carhaving a stationary platform at one of its ends, of a transversely andhorizontally disposed support at the outer end of said platform, aplatform section hinged to the side edge of the stationary platform andadapted to be turned on its hinges and to lie horizontally on the uppersurface of the stationary platform, a step frame supported at its upperportion 011 the said horizontally disposed support and on the end of thecar at one side of the platform, an operating lever suitably fulcrumedat its lower end below the stationary platform, a bell crank lever alsofulcrumed below said plat-form, a link uniting the operating lever toone arm of the bell crank lever and another link uniting the other armof the bell crank lever to the hinged section of the platform, the upperend of the step frame forming a support for the hinged sec tion when thesame is disposed to close the passage-way to the steps.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a carhaving a stationary platform at one of its ends, of a transversely andhorizontally disposed support at the outer end of said platform, aplatform section hinged to each of the side edges of the stationaryplatform and adapted to be turned on their hinges and to liehorizontally on the upper surface of the stationary platform, anoperating lever fulcrumed at its lower end below the stationary platformnear each of its side edges, a bell crank lever also fulcrumed belowsaid platform near each of its side edges, a link uniting one of theoperating levers to one arm of one of the bell crank levers and anotherlink uniting the other arm of the bell crank lever to one of the hingedsections of the platform.

KARL E. O. HOOKINSON.

lVitnesses CHAS. C. TILLMAN, E. NEWSTROM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C.

